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London Metropolitan Archives

LIVERPOOL VICTORIA FRIENDLY SOCIETY


IDENTITY STATEMENT

Reference code(s): GB 0074 CLC/B/147

Held at: London Metropolitan Archives

Title: LIVERPOOL VICTORIA FRIENDLY SOCIETY

Date(s): 1846-1984

Level of description: Collection

Extent: 418 production units.

Name of creator(s): Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society
Liverpool Independent Legal Victoria Burial Society
Liverpool Victoria Approved Society

CONTEXT

Administrative/Biographical history:

The first recorded meeting of the Liverpool Independent Legal Victoria Burial Society took place on 3 March 1843. From as early as 1845, the Society did not confine its activities to the city of Liverpool, and in 1845 collectors were established in Runcorn, Chester, Warrington, Ormskirk and Northwich. By 1863, its operations had extended to Scotland, Ireland and Wales, and in England as far north as Newcastle and as far west as Plymouth, with outposts in London. Prior to the Friendly Societies Act of 1875, the society was governed by a committee of management (general committee) and a sub-committee. The decisions of the sub-committee, which met weekly, were ratified at the quarterly meetings of the management committee. From 1875, Liverpool Victoria was governed by a single body called the committee of management or general committee which consisted of two officers, eight district managers or agents and ten employees. In 1906 it was proposed that the society should be converted to a limited liability company. This move was opposed by some members, who formed a Members' Defence Committee, and published a number of anti-conversion leaflets. The dispute was put to external arbitration, which decided that although the conversion could not take place, the society could form a subsidiary to promote its interests. As a result, the Liverpool Victoria Insurance Corporation was established in 1907.

Under the National Insurance Act of 1911 a system of compulsory health insurance for the working-class was established, to be administered by "approved societies". In 1912 the Liverpool Victoria Approved Society was constituted. By the end of that year it had over 350,000 members and later became one of the largest and most successful of the Approved Societies. Between 1843 and 1861 the society was known variably as the Liverpool Victoria Burial Society, Victoria Legal Burial Society or Liverpool Victoria Legal Burial Society. From about 1861, it was called the Liverpool Victoria Legal Friendly Society. In 1918 the name was changed to the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society.

The society was based in Liverpool at 37 Blake Street (1843-51), 49 Great Newton Street (1851-67), 32 Great Newton Street (1868), 23 Islington (1870-80) and 144 Islington (1881-5). In 1885 the society moved its chief office to London and was based at 18 St Andrew Street (1885-1926), "Victoria House", Southampton Row (1926-97). In around 1998 the chief office was moved to County Gates in Bournemouth.

CONTENT

Scope and content/abstract:

Records of the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society, including minute books; annual accounts; annual reports; correspondence; reports; press cuttings; legal case papers and papers relating to court proceedings; financial records; advertising leaflets; and papers relating to staff pensions and employment matters.

Access to records less than 30 years old should be sought from Liverpool Victoria (contact details may be obtained from a member of staff).

ACCESS AND USE

Language/scripts of material: English

System of arrangement:

Records arranged by MS number, assigned during cataloguing at the Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section.

Conditions governing access:

Access by appointment only. Please contact staff.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copyright to this collection rests with the depositor.

Finding aids:

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

ARCHIVAL INFORMATION

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

The society's archives were donated to the Manuscripts Section of Guildhall Library in 1998.

ALLIED MATERIALS

Related material:

LMA also holds some records of some companies that were taken over by Liverpool Victoria:
General Federation of Trade Unions Friendly and Collecting Society, CLC/141;
General Friendly Collecting Society, CLC/142;
Independent Burial Society, CLC/074;
Liverpool Protective Assurance and Burial Society, CLC/082;
Most Friendly Burial Society, CLC/094;
Withington Friendly Burial Collecting Society, CLC/155.

DESCRIPTION NOTES

Archivist's note:

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: January to May 2011.


INDEX ENTRIES
Subjects
Approved societies | Financial institutions | Finance
Burial insurance | Insurance | Finance
Business records | Documents | Information sources
Friendly societies | Financial institutions | Finance
Insurance records | Documents | Information sources
Insurance services | Financial service industries | Service industries

Personal names

Corporate names
Liverpool Independent Legal Victoria Burial Society
Liverpool Victoria Approved Society
Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society

Places
UK | Western Europe | Europe